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The Japanese, the lucky, lucky Japanese, are seeing the PS3 launch on the 11th instead of the 17th. Sure, it's not that much earlier than our release date, but that means the media circus has already begun; reviews are starting to trickle out of the gaming media. The Daily Famitsu has posted their reviews on Japan's launch games, and IGN.com has the scores as well as their rundown of what they learned from the translated comments.

Sega Golf Club: 7, 7, 7, 7 One reviewer said the game has good tempo, with little wait time. Another complained about the game not giving that next generation feel. The chick reviewer liked how the game is simple and extremely easy to play.

Genji: 7,7,7,8 The four playable characters have unique characteristics, complimented one reviewer, while another was pleased with the amount of volume in the game. The controls are good, said one reviewer, but the lack of full camera controls made fighting difficult.

Gundam: Target in Sight (aka Crossfire): 8,8,8,8 A couple of reviewers complained that the game is tougher than they'd been expecting. One made mention of all the things you can do in the game, from reforming your Mobile Suit to increasing weapon abilities. One reviewer liked the amount of freedom offered by the game.

Ridge Racer 7: 9,9,9,9 The sound and drift mechanics have been refined even further on the PS3, said one reviewer. Net battles don't suffer from lag, pointed out one reviewer. Another reviewer made mention of the amount of volume in the game.

So there you have it. Riiiiiiidge Racer grabs some high scores, and Resistance came out swinging as well. I'm probably going to take a pass on Ridge Racer at launch—there is only so much drifting I can handle—but Resistance and maybe Genji may find themselves in my cart come November 17. You never can tell.

It's nice to see there are no outright dogs in the Japanese lineup. The days are going to start going by very slowly as we wait for the 17th.